Bruised
by Coney Cat
Summary: Joan loves Abe, Abe loves Cleo, and Cleo is kissing WHO? And when will FF.net get a Clone High section? -_-;
1. Chapter 1

_-*-I do not own any of the characters in this story except the one coming up in chapter two: Ptolemy XII. The song is "Bruised" by "The Bens". FF.net, won''t let me put the link to the lyrics in my fic so if you want the lyrics the link is in my profile. Just click my name. Yeah uh huh above there...Coney Cat or whatever I might have changed it to....-*-_   
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Bruised  
  
Love just leaves you bruised   
if you wanna know  
then find something to lose  
  


  
       "Abe...abe...ABE!" Joan yelled into her friend's ear. The goofy grin broke off his face as he was woken from his trance. "...Think your French fry has enough ketchup on it yet?"  
  
       Abe looked down to see that he had dipped his fry so deep that it was completely covered in ketchup. "Oh, jeeze I was busy thinking about-"  
  
       Joan rolled her eyes. "Yeah, Cleo I know." That seemed to be the only thing he thought about lately. _I wish he'd think about me once in a while...  
_  
       "Well, sorta...I was thinking about tonight's Valentine's Day plans! I've got this nice romantic dinner..." Abe's voice trailed off in Joan's mind as she imagined herself and Abe having the romantic dinner instead of Cleo.  
       _"Joan, there's no one else I'd rather have this dinner with than you..."  
       "Oh Abe..._OW!" Joan glared at Gandhi who was laughing his head off. She picked up the book he had thrown and threw it back at him hitting his head making him fall over.  
  
       "Sorry Joan, it's just that you seemed to be having a day dream about _a guy" _Gandhi emphizsed "a guy" in a teasing manor.  
  
       "Shut up Gandhi!" Joan said through clenched teeth.  
       "Is this true Joan?" Abe said taking interest in Joan for the first time that day. "Is there a special guy in your life?"  
  
       "Uh well..." Joan thought for a minute. _Maybe I could try to make him jealous..._"Yeah! He doesn't go to this school though...he goes on the other side of town...yeah.." Joan gave a confident smirk.  
  
       Abe smiled. "I'm happy for you Joan, for a while I was worried about you...I know you're crazy about some guy that goes to this school. Good to see you move on."  Just as Joan could have admitted Abe was the guy the bell rang and everyone got up to leave. Cleo bumped into the back of Abe.  
  
       "Abe! I'm sorry I didn't see you there."  
       "It's okay, I'm glad I found you Cleo, what do you say about a romantic dinner for just the two of us?" Abe said putting his arm around Cleo.  
  
       Cleo slipped from his grasp and gave an almost too easy to fake sad look. "Gee Abe...already have plans...but you can join me if you want!"   
       Abe's face fell a bit to the cancellation of the dinner, but he still would be with Cleo. "Well, okay..."  
       "Great!" Cleo leaned up to Abe's ear and whispered, "Meet me at the Lunar cafe at 8," she gave Abe a wink and left.   
  
       Abe stood there for a few seconds dazzed look on face with Joan and Gandhi starring at him until Joan  snapped her fingers in his face. "Sorry guys...I was thinking-"  
       "Don't say it...we already know." Joan crossed her arms glaring at Abe.  
       Abe smiled. "Hey Joan, why don't you and your boyfriend join Cleo and I?" saying it as if it was the best idea ever.  
       "Uh, well we'd love to but-"  
       "Great! Look I've got to go, but talk to you later!"  
  
       Joan sighed. "What am I going to do?!"   
        "What do you mean?" Gandhi said while trying to bounce a tennis ball up and down on his head.  
       "I mean there is no boyfriend on the other side of town!" Joan exclaimed.  
  
       The tennis ball went flying getting stuck on one of Mr. Sheepman's horns. Gandhi whistled innocently "Well, don't worry I've got a plan Joanie. Meet me two blocks from the Lunar café tonight."  
       _"Gandhi!" _Mr. Sheepman yelled.   
       "Later!" Gandi said running in the opposite direction. Joan glared at Gandhi and continued to class.  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**I went because you said you'd be there  
A box of candy, smoke in your hair  
When I didn't know, I didn't care  
But now I know**_  
_  
  
  
  
  


       "Where is he?!" Joan stood against the brick wall waiting for Gandhi to come. A short guy with curly black hair and a moustache stopped next to Joan.  
       "Hey Joanie!" Joan squinted but reazlied soon it was Gandhi.  
       Joan rolled her eyes at Gandhi's sad attempt of a disguise. "It's never going to work."   
  
       "Hey, we could try. Shall we?" Gandhi said offering his arm to Joan.  
       Joan hesitated but took his arm in return. "No funny stuff."  
       "Ohhh, alright, party pooper." Gandhi  said dissapointed. Once at the café Joan and Gandhi entered the smoky atmosphere and took a table off to the side.  


*****  


       Abe entered the Lunar café he coughed due to all the cigarette smoke in the air. _Stupid coffee houses with their poetry beatniks _Abe thought _why is Cleo even in place like this? _He took the box of candies from under his arm thinking Cleo could at least eat the less fattening ones. He got past the crowd of people and saw Cleo at a table in the back with a guy. Squinting through the smoke Abe saw it was JFK. What he saw next he wanted to blame on the smoke but he couldn't since he would have seen it without the smoke. Cleo leaned foroward and kissed some guy Abe had never seen before in his life. Abe dropped the box of candy and everything seemed to go in slow motion. Cleo looked over and saw Abe. "Abe! It's not what you think!" she called out to Abe who was already storming out of the café.   
  
       Once outside Abe felt a hand on his shoulder. "Cleo...it's too late for explinations. It was okay when you did it behind my back but now it's gone too far!" Abe whirled around only to come face to face with Joan. "Oh, it's only you...I guess you saw what happened."  
  
       "Yeah...I'm sorry." Joan said feeling guilty for the happiness that rotted in the pit of her stomach.  
  
       "So where's your boyfriend?"  
       "Yo!" Gandhi said in a fake a british accent.  
       Abe looked at Gandhi. "You do know that's Gandhi right?"   
       Joan crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "No, I had no clue" she said in a somewhat sarcastic tone.  
  
       "Sorry, I thought it might work" Gandhi said taking off the wig and spinning it on his finger.  
  
       Abe sat on the curb holding his head in his hands. "How could Cleo..."  
       "Abe!" Joan exclaimed in frustration. "Cleo has always been doing this to you! You've been too blind to notice but now that it's finally under your nose you see that Cleo is a big fat sl...flirt." She sighed and sat down next to Abe. "Face it Abe...she never puts your first. It's always something before you. You deserve so much better..."  
  
       "...You're right Joan, but right now I think I need some time alone to think." Abe stood up.  
       "Sure, just remember I'm here if you need me." Joan stood too putting a comforting hand on Abe's shoulder. Abe removed it and left.   



	3. Chapter 3

**Now I know  
Love just leaves you bruised  
And I got the scars to prove it**  
  
       Abe arrived home and went straight up to his room. He lied on his bed starring at the ceiling his thoughts of the last few minutes a fuzz. He thought about everything Joan had said to him. _Face it Abe...she never puts your first. It's always something before you...that_ wasn't true. Or was it?_ Gee Abe...already have plans...but you can join me if you want!   _...It was. Abe felt like such a fool for not noticing it.   
  
       But of course he didn't notice it, Cleo was too beautiful to notice anything else. _Get a hold of yourself Abe _he told himself. _What would my clone-father have done? Well, first of all he probably would have never gotten involved with Cleo. That was my first mistake...but it was a pretty good mistake. _He grinned then went back to his thoughts. _So what should I do? End it with Cleo that seems to be the right thing. for now...   
  
       _Abe yawned and rolled over to his side. _Tomorrow though, I'm too sleepy right now...  
_

*****  


       Joan sat in am empty booth at The Grassy Knoll sipping a vanilla smoothie. _If I see Cleo she better watch out, who does she think she is hurting Abe's feelings like that. .. Right, Cleopatra God's gift to clones. _Joan sighed then noticed who was sitting in the booth diagonal from her. It was Cleo who seemed to be taking to someone. Joan stood up and went over ready to give Cleo a piece of her mind. "Cleo..."  
  
       Cleo looked up. "Oh Joan!  I'd like you to meet my brother Ptolemy XII. He's visiting for a few days.  
       "Yeah that's nice..." Joan looked to Ptolemy and saw it was the same guy Cleo had kissed at the Lunar café. "Wait a minute! He's your brother? What about that kiss at the café?!"  
  
       Cleo sighed. "I was greeting him, he had just arrived. By the way, have you seen Abe? I want to explain to him what happened last night. Whenever I try calling his parents say he's asleep."   
  
       "Gotta go, nice meeting you Ptolemy" Joan said. She went back to her table and left money for the smoothie then left. _If I hurry I can get to Abe's house and tell him I love him before Cleo can say anything to him._  


*****  


       Abe felt a bit groggy. His parents had woken him up five minutes ago saying Cleo wanted him to meet her at The Grassy Knoll. _Better get it over with._ Everything around him seemed to be bright and cheerful which was the complete opposite of how he felt.   
  
       "Abe!" He looked around. He could have sworn he heard Joan... "ABE!" Yes, it was Joan. She was jogging to him from the other end of the side walk. She finally caught up to him and was completely out of breath. "Abe ...I have to...hold on." She waited until she got her breath back before continuing. "I have to tell you something."   
  
       "Can it wait Joan,  I'm going to go see Cleo at The Grassy Knoll. I'm going to...break it off." Abe looked down to the ground.  
        "But you can't get back together with-...wait did you say break it off?"  
  
       Abe sniffed even though there were on signs of tears. "Yeah, maybe it's for the best. I just don't know. You were right about everything you said though Joan, Cleo never cared about me." Abe grabbed Joan by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Joan, what ever you do, don't fall in love! It just hurts so much!"   
       Joan looked at Abe's eyes and noticed how groggy they looked. _Poor guy must've lost a lot of sleep last night.   
       _"Now if you'll excuse me Joan..."  
  
       _I can't let this happen. Abe is so miserable...I want what's best for my friend even if it means he wont be anything more. _"Wait Abe...Cleo wasn't cheating on you last night,"  
       Abe turned around to Joan. "What? What do you mean? I saw her kissing that guy with my own two eyes,"   
       "No, it was her brother. She was greeting him because he had just arrived. I saw Cleo at The Grassy Knoll just a few minutes ago and she told me everything." _What are you doing? You're ruining your chances with Abe, and for what? So you can stay alone...and so your friend will be happy..._Joan looked to the ground.  
  
       "Oh Joan!" Abe said grabbing her and giving her a big hug.   
       Joan blushed. "Oh it was nothing..."  
       Abe let go and began running to The Grassy Knoll. "I've got to go tell Cleo I love her!"   
       Joan began running after him. "Hey what about her not paying attention to you!!" But those thoughts were well past Abe's mind right now.     


*****  


       Joan watched from outside The Grassy Knoll as Abe hugged Cleo then joined her and Ptolemy. _Well, you did it Joan, you let him slip through your fingers. _She sat down on the sidewalk with her legs crossed when Gandhi came up to her. "Hey Joan, you look bummed out,"  
       Joan sighed not up for Gandhi's jokes. "I am, so if you could just leave me alone,"  
       "Oh sure...hey it looks like Abe is back with Cleo" Gandhi noticed.   
       "Yeah and it's all my fault,"  
       Gandhi sat next to Joan ignoring her previous request. "Hey, cheer up. If you wait long enough something good is bound to happen,"  
       Joan looked to Gandhi trying to figure out if he was making fun of her or what. _He's right you know...so you might as well wait.   _"Thanks Gandhi"  
       "No problemo, see ya later" Gandhi got up and went into The Grassy Knoll leaving Joan to think about what to do next.  
         
  
**The world won't turn until something breaks  
who will make the first last mistake?  
They say that good things come to those who wait...  
  
Well, I can't wait **  
  
  
  
  
**The end...or is it?**  
  
  
  
_Well, I hope you liked it. x.x; My first attempt at Clone High fic, and if I did anything wrong just tell me. For those who aren't history buffs Ptolemy XII is Cleopatra's younger brother she married so could Cleo have been lying about just kissing him for a greeting? Oooh! Abe may never know! o.O  Go to the link below to get the full lyrics to the song._  
  
  



End file.
